Utopia and smiling faces

Posted on January 5, 2025 by Mary C

trees on sidewalk beside mural on a wall, by Toni Espinar titled the big lie, triptych of consciousness

On Via Regina Margherit in Stornara there is a large mural by Toni Espinar. It’s title is: “La gran mentira” (Triptico de la Consciencia) which translates to “The Big Lie (Triptych of Consciousness). Triptych refers to the fact that the mural is in three sections/scenes, each under its own arch. The arches resemble stonework found in church architecture.

The first frame is dominated by large purple creatures with big white teeth and shiny red eyes. Green biohazard symbols are in their mouths. A gargoyle-like human head with eyes closed is at the top of the arch.

Under the word “Utopia” is a very pregnant man with a tattoo that says “Respect” on his tummy. On his shoulder is another tattoo that combines the symbols for male and female. He is looking skyward, or perhaps heavenward. Is there a comparison to Christ that can be made here? Is there a resemblance to how the face of Jesus is often portrayed?

hairy gremlins with big ears and impish grins, and happy faces, in a mural

Tiger mom seems to push little tiger son into the boxing ring. The white words above the gremlins say “La grande bugia” which can also translate to “the big lie”. Across the top of the arch it says “cambiare mondo, non follia ma giustizia”, or “change the world, not madness but justice”

part of mural, La gran mentira (Triptico de la Consciencia)

The chest tattoo is a winged red heart with the equation e=mc2, Einstein’s theory of relativity. There is also a series of keyholes on his chest.

On the far right of the mural, a school of green fish swim together.

Photos taken February 2024

near Alexander & Clinton, Rochester

Posted on June 7, 2023 by Mary C

below: The courtyard behind Boulder Coffee Co. at the corner of Alexander and South Clinton is decorated with street art murals.

large brick building with a courtyard patio in the back, tables for coffee shop, walls of building with a couple of murals on them

below: A closer look at the masked horse and its rider.

below: “Andy and the Big Dead Waltz” by Caitlin Yarsky, 2014

below: A cow of many colours,

below: This black and white mural was painted by Ian Kuali’i, a Hawaiian artist, as part of Wall Therapy 2022 (Wall Therapy is the Rochester Mural Festival). It is on the same building as the cow in the above photo.

below: The next three images feature the campground on the wall of the Rochester Beer Park. RV’s, trailers, and campers of all vintages.

a van is parked in front of Rochester Beer Park with its's campground mural on the wall, WInnebago, vintage campers and trailers are parked there, motorcycles, old station wagon, camp chairs set up by a table

two chairs and a table outside a vintage camper with its door open to show yellow interior

old yellow station wagon with wood grain side trim is parked in front of a grey RV and an old Volkswagen camper with the top popped up

below: This large mural with a very large spider was painted by Nani Chacon and is titled “Visions”. It is painted on the wall of Strangebird Brewery.

Large mural on the side of Strangebird Brewery of a woman with red lipstick and long dark hair, wearing a blue drop ear ring, holding her hand out for a large blue spider

Close up of blue spider on woman's hand, very long fingernails. Spider is blue with striped legs and small red and white dots on its back

below: Change taught me graffiti along with the Black Tabby party “The revolution will not be televised”

below: A small portrait in faded blacks

white sticker with black and grey young man portrait

below: A red, white, and blue butterfly on a pole. A single tear shape falls from the eye on her central wing. A red heart and red lips add colour to her other wings.

below: This rather grotesque character seems to have a life ring around his middle but he’s disintegrating just the same. Food supplied by Snack Shack.

below: Stickers on a yellow sign. Careful! That chicken’s got its eye on you.

below: He or she is a floating, encased in an uncomfortable metal scuba outfit. Humpty Dumpty got tired of sitting on his wall and went for a swim? Tweedledee sank and Tweedledum is looking for him? Or, going back in time, one of those chubby round little people from Fisher Price escaped from the playroom many years ago and has been bobbing around in the ocean ever since. Or?

below: A certain arrangement of paint and stickers

below: No room for Fascism. The Nazi-headed snake has been caught.

below: Approaching Gold, along with a horned animal and an advert for the Abilene bar and lounge.

Photos taken in May 2023.

Einstein, strange birds, and some teddy bears

Posted on May 24, 2022 by Mary C

Three murals in Vilnius

below: Einstein by ettoja (aka Artur Širin) titled “It’s Never too Late”. A tattooed Einstein has his bling and his backpack and looks ready to hit the road (now that Covid seems to be waning?).

large mural on the end of a building, painted by ettoja, Einstein with e=mc2 tattoo, gold necklace, a couple of bracelets, and with a backpack on his back.

On Kauno (just around the corner from Einstein) is this large mural. It is a collaboration between Polish artist SEPE (aka Michal Wrega) and Lithuanian artist CHAZME (aka Daniel Kalinskiego).

large mural on the side of a building, shades of blue and purple mostly, some abstract geometric shapes, 2 figures that are part person and part bird, especially with beaks. painted by two artists, sepe and chazme

bottom bird-like figure large mural on the side of a building, shades of blue and purple mostly, some abstract geometric shapes, 2 figures that are part person and part bird, especially with beaks. painted by two artists, sepe and chazme

more sepe and chaze mural

Walking slightly farther west brings you to another mural. The words in the umbrella say Už Saugią Lietuvą which is the name of a campaign to fight domestic violence, “For a Safe Lithuania”

mural of a child standing on a mountain of stuffed animals as she tries to write words on a wall

Writing on the mural is: “Do vanos? Za islai? O gal seima? Isileisi mane.” which loosely translates to: Do you have? Toys? Or maybe the family? Let me out.

part of a mural, young girl is painting words on a wall in lithuanian

mr.besk in Instanbul (2018)

Posted on January 22, 2022 by Mary C

Because COVID is still slowing everyone down, I continue to search through old travel pictures because I know that there are still lots of photos of street art that I haven’t shared. Today I found four murals by mr.besk that I saw the last time that I was in Instanbul. They feature yellow outlines and little Basquiat-type three pointed crowns.